The Darkthrop Prophecy
by GhedahrianVampress
Summary: (A Sequel to Masquerade) - Mel has fought long and hard to prevent the Darkthrop Prophecy from being fulfilled, but it seems that even she is unable to stop it. Will she submit to her destiny, or will she continue to live her life constantly on the run?
1. Chapter 1

Gyendal never thought that he would be so disgusted to have blood dripping out of his mouth. It had happened plenty of times while he had been a Vampire, seeing as he had been known to be a messy eater. The only difference was that he was now human, and it was his own blood dripping out of his mouth, not someone else's. Needless to say, it didn't taste that good.

He had been held hostage deep within the Cathedral of Underfall for almost a full year now. You may find yourself asking; Why on earth is Gyendal being held hostage, and why is he dripping with his own blood? The answer is rather simple. It all started the day he destroyed the Orb of Death. He knew that by destroying the orb, and letting Mel go, he would be punished quite severely by his master.

He hadn't seen the sun since. Every day, his master would come and have him flogged repeatedly. Gyendal was then forced to endure the pain for a few hours before his master would return with a healer, granting him reprieve from the pain for the rest of the day. It was a gruesome fate. In a way, it made him hate humans even more, yet at the same time, he also felt as though he deserved it. He liked to think of it as his punishment for all the times he hurt Mel.

There wasn't really a moment that he didn't think of her. If it hadn't been for her, he probably would have been driven to despair. Looking back on those moments he spent with Mel while he was masquerading as Spook gave him the courage to endure every lashing he received. Despite everything, he could honestly say that he didn't regret destroying the orb. The only thing he did regret was not being able to explain himself to Mel. He had no idea what she thought about him and everything that had happened.

Where was she? Was she safe? Gyendal had overheard the Darklings talking about how they had been assigned to search for her. Had they found her yet? He couldn't stand the thought of them taking her, which he found rather bizarre. There had been a time in his life when he didn't care for her at all. The only thing that had mattered to him at the time was using her to enslave humanity and free the Vampires. In his wildest dreams, he never imagined that he would care for Mel so much.

Gyendal had intended on going through with his plan up until the moment he saw how heart-broken and afraid she was. Believe it or not, but it had in turn broke his heart as well. Seeing her in such a state had reminded him of a memory that had happened so long ago that it had almost been lost to him forever. It reminded him of how afraid he had been when he discovered his own powers.

He had been a child at the time, somewhere around the age of nine or ten, and as you can imagine, he was terrified and confused. Much like her, he too had thought that magic was evil at the time, for the world he lived in had taught him that. The only difference was that his father had helped him through it. Mel had no one. Although, he supposed that Yvette or June could probably help her if she let them.

Just then, he was snapped away from his thoughts as he heard footsteps coming. There was no question of who they belonged to, for there were very few beings in the Cathedral who actually walked, aside from him. Most of the Darklings just flew about as they pleased, ignoring the fact that they too had feet, even if they were rather short and stubby. These footsteps could only belong to his master and the healer.

Soon enough, two figures approached his cell. One of them was an older man, dressed in a black robe with gold trimming, and the other was a woman, who despite being a witch, had healing powers. Gyendal knew that Mel and her friends had come across her a few times, but he couldn't remember her name. The only name he knew was the name of his master; Mordred Darkthrop.

"Have you suffered enough yet, Gyendal?" Mordred asked. "Are you ready to abandon your feelings for the girl and rejoin me?"

Gyendal shook his head. "I would rather drown in my own blood than hurt Mel again."

"Look, you may think that I don't understand how it feels to love someone so deeply that you'd be willing to die for them, but I do," Mordred said. "I loved Lilly with all of my heart, but it didn't matter to the wretch. She left me regardless. People claim that falling in love is the best thing that can happen to a person, but they're wrong. It's the worst."

Gyendal had known about Mordred's past before he even met him. The old wizard had written about her in his journal's quite frequently, unable to forget about her and what she had done to him. Personally, Gyendal had never understood Mordred's bitterness towards his lost love, but he was not starting to. He finally understood what it felt like to have his heart broken, but unlike him, it was not because he was hated by the woman he loved.

When Gyendal failed to reply, Mordred let out a sigh. "It's a shame that you choose to be stubborn," Mordred said. "You have so much potential. I have never met someone as powerful as you."

Mordred then motioned for the witch to cast her spell. As she began to mutter the words of a healing spell, he began to feel the pain in his body slowly fade away. Reaching up to touch his face, he realized that even the blood had disappeared. However, he didn't allow himself to feel relief at the absence of pain. He knew that it would return soon enough.

"You shall not see me for a while, for I have found a new way to punish you," Mordred declared, motioning for the witch to take her leave. "A way that just might make you change your mind about rejoining me."

Hearing that, Gyendal jumped to his feet. He had a good idea of what Mordred meant by that, and he didn't like the sound of it at all. "Leave Mel out of this! She's been through enough!"

Mordred shook his head. "I don't have much choice. She is the one of the prophecy; the one who will rise up and take over the world."

With that, Mordred turned and walked away, vanishing into the darkness. In a fit of rage, he sent a blast of magic towards the place where Mordred had just stood. Unfortunately, it stopped abruptly in front of the cell door, creating nothing more than a puff of smoke. He had momentarily forgotten that Mordred had magic proofed the cell, ensuring that he wouldn't escape.

"Curse you, Mordred Darkthrop!"


	2. Chapter 2

A big thank you to Purpuhl for helping me come up with the idea for this chapter!

* * *

It was another typical day in the city of Candar, as Mel stepped out of her modest apartment. Her eyes squinted as they were met by all the sun, who always seemed to shine particularly bright on the cheerful city of love. "Why did I ever decide to move here?" she asked herself.

This was a question that she had asked herself every single day for the past year. However, it never took her long to remember the reason. She had come to the world renowned, City of Love, in search of a place to hide. It was definitely not a city that she would have wanted to live in under normal circumstances, which was exactly why she had chosen it. She knew that her friends would never think to look for her there.

Candar was the definition of all the things she disliked. It was bright and cheerful. The buildings were all pink and purple. There were hearts and flowers all over the place, most of which gave her allergies. Everyone was happy, wearing big grins on their faces. Most days, Mel preferred to remain inside the safety of her apartment. It could get a bit boring, but she preferred being bored to getting a headache from everything outside.

Unfortunately, she couldn't always live like a hermit. Every so often she would escape from the city and spend some time exploring. It reminded her of the good old days when her and Edward would go exploring. She missed him, and Stella too, but she was still strong in her resolve to stay away from them. It was for the best. Besides, her life wasn't entirely bad.

"Good Morning, Miss Thorn!" exclaimed Mel's neighbor, waving to her excitedly. "How's your third book coming along?"

"It's getting there, slowly but surely," she said, briefly acknowledging the woman before continuing on her way.

Mel had managed to create a life for herself in Candar over the last year. There hadn't been many options for someone like her when she first arrived. She had tried various odd jobs, but nothing worked out. She even tried working as a rat-catcher for a while. Unfortunately, there weren't enough rats in the city to make much profit off it.

Then, one day she came up with the idea of writing a novel series based on her adventures. Despite the fact that she hadn't always been able to read and write, she was actually pretty good at writing, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Seeing as she was in the City of Love, she figured that she might have more success if she wrote them as romance novels. Thus she began writing her series, Kidnapped by Love; a story about a orphaned street urchin who falls in love with a Vampire.

A part of her had expected for the Candarians to reject her work, seeing as it was a bit darker than they were used to, but that was not at all the case. Her books had become remarkably popular in such a short time. The name Rose Thorn, which was the pen name she had made up in order to hide her true identity, was known all over the city. According to what her publisher had said, her books were even starting to gain popularity outside of the Arishta Isles.

In a way it was flattering to know that so many people liked her books, but at the same time it was also kind of irritating. She couldn't leave her house without someone complimenting her on her books, or having a group of overly excited teenage girls come running up to her, asking her to sign their copies. Her books seemed to go over particularly well with young girls. For some reason they seemed to think that the idea of falling in love with a Vampire was romantic. Probably because they thought that Vampires were nothing but a myth. If only they knew the truth.

As she reached the town gates, and the thicket of trees came into view, she couldn't help but wonder what Gyendal was doing. She hadn't seen him at all since he destroyed the Orb of Death. Honestly, she had expected him to make another appearance at some point, maybe to explain his actions. She found his absence rather peculiar, and a bit unnerving. He had never left her alone before, so why would he now? Had something happened to him?

She shook that thought from her mind, not wanting to think about it. Instead, she focused on the task at hand; exploring. With that in mind, she started through the forest, straying from the beaten path. She had heard rumors of a gigantic tree that supposedly came to life every so often. Some even claimed that the tree was actually a portal that led to an unknown world. She was curious to see if those rumors were true.

It took her a while to find, seeing as nobody had given her specific directions to it, but she managed to find her way. Just as they said, there was an enormous tree, and standing beside it was a sign, written in some unknown foreign language. However, upon further investigation, she did find an old broken up canoe nearby. Carved into the side of it was a heart with two names inside, Ean Ohko and Iya Tiki.

"Quite the names," Mel remarked. "I wonder who they were."

She was just about to reach out and run her fingers over the carved names, when all of a sudden, a couple of winged monsters flew out of nowhere, grabbing her by the arms. "At last we have found you, Mistress!" one of them declared.

Mel thrashed about struggling to get free from the monster's hold, but they were too strong, which was odd considering they were so short. "Who are you? What do you want from me?!"

"We've come to take you home, Great Mistress of Darkness," the other one said. "The Master is waiting for you."

Mel started to realize what was going on when she heard them address her that way. She thought they had looked somewhat familiar. They were Darklings from Underfall, who had most likely come to kidnap her, in hopes that she would fulfill the prophecy. There was no way that Mel was going to let them succeed. She had spent way too much time running and hiding to let them take her now.

The Darklings started to drag her away. Mel fought them tooth and nail, trying every possible way to escape, but she couldn't. Even her magic didn't seem to work against them. They seemed to be immune to it. She quickly found herself running out of options, so she did the only thing she could do.

"Help!" she screamed out as loud as she could. "Someone help me!"

"We're trying to help you, Great Mistress," the Darklings replied. Clearly they didn't understand her.

The two Darklings summoned a dark portal and began dragging Mel towards it, when all of a sudden two older men came running up, both of them holding staff's in their hands. They were clearly mages. Mel knew that there weren't many mages in Candar, meaning that these men had most likely been passing by. She prayed that they would be able to help her.

"Let the girl go, you vile creatures!" one of the men demanded.

The two men each fired a blast of magic towards her. Closing her eyes tightly, she prepared herself for the impact. Nothing happened. With confusion, she slowly opened her eyes again to see what was going on. You can only imagine her shock when she saw that the Darklings had disappeared from sight, as well as their portal.

Mel let out a breath of relief, her body trembling a bit from everything that had happened. She wanted to express her gratitude towards the men for helping her, but was too shocked to say anything. All she could do was stand there and stare at her saviors. That had been a close call. She couldn't even imagine what would have happened if they hadn't come to her rescue, and frankly she didn't want to imagine it.

She only snapped out of it when she heard a rustling sound coming from behind the men. Before long, a third man, dressed from head to toe in armor, emerged from behind a tree and walked up beside them. Mel's eyes widened when she saw him. "Edward?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded his head. "Mel! I finally found you!"

Without warning, he rushed forward and pulled her into an uncomfortable hug. Mel couldn't resist the urge to hug him back. Even if she had been trying to hide from him, words couldn't describe how happy she was to see him. Pulling away for a moment, she took some time to fully examine him, ensuring that he was in fact real, and not some illusion. The last time she had seen him was after the events with Gyendal. His life had been dangling by a thread. She had left not knowing whether he was all right. However, she could now see that he was.

Her reason for running away then returned to her, causing her to quickly back away from him. "Why are you here?" she asked him. "How did you find me?"

Edward's eyes hardened. "I think a better question is; Why are you here?" he asked in reply. "I've been looking for you ever since we realized that you ran off! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

Mel hung her head. She hadn't meant to worry him. To be honest, she hadn't even stopped to think about how he would feel. She was just too afraid that she would hurt him even more than he had already been hurt. Afraid that he would hate her for having fallen in love with Gyendal. How could he not at least be mad at her because of it?

Edward took a deep calming breath. "How I found you is rather simple. Stella was telling me about a new series of books that she absolutely adored, about a street urchin and a Vampire. It didn't take me long to figure out who the author was. You couldn't come up with a better pen name than Rose Thorn?"

Mel felt like slapping herself. She should have known that someone would recognize the story, as well as her pathetic excuse for a disguise. "I'm a terrible liar. You should know that by now!"

Edward nodded his head in agreement. "You might be terrible at lying, but you seem to be a good writer, and for that I must commend you. Your books are the talk of Thais."

Mel hadn't expected her books to travel so far. It was almost embarrassing to think about. She could just picture her old professors reading her story, breaking into a coughing fit when they got to the part where she fell for the Vampire who was trying to kidnap her. She made a mental note to remind herself that she never wanted to go back there.

"So, you spent all your time chasing after me?" she inquired. "What about Lydia? I thought you were gonna try to remove her from your throne."

Edward groaned. "I gave up on you for a while and spent some time trying to fight her in court. Unfortunately, it just so happens that the judge is Lydia's uncle. He awarded the throne to her."

Just then, the two other men, whom Mel had momentarily forgotten about, stepped forward. She eyed them suspiciously. They were looking at her strangely, as if they knew exactly who she was. Had Edward told them about her? Who were they? She didn't remember them from Thais. Although, she supposed that they could have arrived after she left.

Sensing her confusion, the two men decided that it was time to introduce themselves. "I am Professor Rahvin, and this is my colleague, Professor Karstoff. We are two of the head professor's at Shadwood Academy in Velderah," said the dark haired man.

"Uh... It's ... Nice to meet you," Mel replied.

"Our Empress has agreed to help Edward reclaim his throne, and in return he promised to give us a magic wielder of great power," said the older man.

It only took Mel a second to figure out what was going on. Edward had promised to give them her in return for their help. Anger began to boil inside her. Edward had done a lot of stupid things in his life, but she had never expected him to do this. How could he?! After everything that they had been through together ... Was this the way he repaid her for all the times she had saved him. He never even thanked her for saving him from the Succubus!

"You sold me to a foreign ruler?!" she exclaimed. "Do you really hate me that much?!"

"I didn't have a choice, Mel! Lydia is wrecking havoc on my kingdom! I can't overthrow her on my own!" Edward defended himself.

Mel had never felt so betrayed in her whole life. Edward knew better than anyone just how much she hated nobles. She had always hated rulers and anyone connected with them. They had never done anything but look down on her. She remembered how horribly they had treated her when she first became a street urchin. Not one of them had taken pity on her and tried to help. She thought that Edward was different, but clearly she had been wrong.

"You have no right to make such a bargain on my behalf! Did you stop to think that maybe I was enjoying the life I had made for myself here? I've finally found a place that doesn't shun me in disgust. As annoying as this place can be at times, the fact remains that people here actually accept me, even though I'm not like them."

Edward's face fell. He had nothing to say in reply to that. She saw a look of guilt wash over him, but she didn't care at that moment. She was much too furious. So much so that she began to feel her magic spiral out of control. Before long, flames began to rise, forming a circle around her. Such a sight was enough to cause all three of the men to retreat in fear.

"You have to calm down," the dark haired professor said. "The prince didn't act out of hatred towards you, but rather out of concern. You are more powerful than you know, and in desperate need of training. That is why he is giving you to us."

Mel managed to slowly calm down after hearing that, the flames dying out along with her anger. After a few moments, she regained her senses, and after seeing the scorch marks she had left on the ground, returned to her usual frightened self. She had definitely over reacted. She should have known that Edward would never purposefully betray her. He wasn't like the other nobles, as she had claimed earlier. He had always looked out for her, putting her own welfare above his own.

Now that she could think clearly, she realized that the men were right. She was too dangerous for her own good. She needed to learn how to control her powers so that she wouldn't hurt anyone unintentionally.

"W-Would I be safe at Shadwood Academy?" she asked reluctantly. "The monsters who attacked me will come after me again."

The older man nodded his head. "Shadwood has some of the strongest defenses against dark magic. They won't be able to get to you from inside. In addition, you will be given free room and board. It will not cost you at all to train with us."

Mel took a few moments to carefully consider the offer. The idea of free food and no rent did appeal to her. If their defenses really were as good as they made them sound, she should be safe from the Darklings. It wasn't as if she had never been to a school before. She had actually enjoyed her time at the School of War and Magic in Thais, even if she had been training for something completely different. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she originally thought.

"I'll agree to go with you, but I need to go home and collect my things first," she finally relented. "I'm in the middle of writing my third book, and there are a lot of people here waiting for me to finish it."

The professor's both nodded their heads. "Of course. There is a publisher in Velderah who has connections with the one in Candar. You will be able to send your manuscript back to your publisher through him when you are finished."

"Very well."


	3. Chapter 3

Mel scowled as she stared down at herself. She was wearing a dress. A DRESS! She hated the school already, and it was only her first day! She cursed Shadwood Academy for having a strict dress code. Why did all the mages in school have to wear dresses? They even made the boys wear them! Although, they preferred to call them robes. Either way, she couldn't understand it.

She had brought up the issue with Professor Yavara, who managed all the magic students coming in and out of the school, but she didn't seem to care about what she thought. Apparently they dressed all of their students alike to prove that everyone was equal with one another. Mel had been sorely tempted to laugh in her face. She found that strange, considering the town was famous for it's slave trade. There were slaves everywhere, being kicked around by their masters.

It was barbaric how the slaves were treated. Mel had experienced a lot of cruelty in her life, but she had always had the right to stick up for herself, or at least run away. The slaves in this city didn't have any rights. They weren't even allowed to talk to people in the streets. They were basically considered as property rather than human beings. It made her appreciate the freedom she had always had a bit more than usual.

Glancing over at the clock on her dresser, she quickly grabbed her training staff and rushed out of her room, not wanting to be late for her first class. The teachers had warned her that she would be penalized if she was late for class. Shadwood operated under a credit system. Students could earn certain privileges such as leaving school ground, leaving the city, or reaching more advanced classes, by earning credits. In order to get credits, you had to perform various tasks for the teachers, and good deeds for civilians. Mel wasn't thrilled by it, but she definitely didn't want to be stuck in the school, or the city for the rest of her life, so she resolved to earn a bunch of credits in as little time as possible.

As she dashed across the courtyard, she ended up tripping over her dress. Fortunately, she managed to catch herself before she fell flat on her face. Not wanting to risk hurting herself, she pulled her dress up a bit and continued on her way, adding yet another reason to hate dresses to the ever growing list she had made in her head. Dresses were both troublesome and dangerous.

She managed to make it to class without a moment to spare, taking a seat at her desk just as Professor Starwing walked in. "Good morning, students, and welcome to your first day of classes," Professor Starwing greeted them with a smile. "As most of you probably already know, I will be teaching you all the fundamentals of harnessing your magic. However, before we get into that, we're going to find out how strong everyone's raw magic is."

Mel gulped when she heard that. She had a bad feeling about this class. Why did she have to show everyone her raw magic? Professor Rahvin and Professor Karstof had already seen it not too long ago. She really didn't want to end up lighting her teacher on fire, or anything else for that matter. She was tempted to put up her hand and express her concerns to the teacher, but she never got the chance.

"For safety purposes, we always do this exercise in the training room," Professor Starwing continued. "If you will all follow me, we will get started right away."

The Professor then started out of the room and down the hallway, the students following after her. Mel was a bit slow in catching up to them, unsure of whether she should join them or try to make a run for it. The safer option might be to run, but then again, she knew that she was never gonna gain control of her magic if she always ran away. She had finally reached the point in her life where she didn't want to run away from magic. She wanted to learn how to use it to her advantage. However, at the same time she was determined not to let it corrupt her as it had so many others.

With a sigh, she joined the rest of the class in the training room, which was basically just a big empty room with nothing in it, save for a couple of plants. "All right, I want each of you to show me the extent of your magical abilities. Close your eyes and let the magic energy flow out of you."

Mel watched as one by one the students closed their eyes, quickly producing a small blast of magic, each looking unique in its own way. Some of them looked brighter and hurt her eyes to look at. Others appeared to be elemental, mostly ice and fire. She felt slightly unnerved by the fact that no one's fire blasts compared to hers. Hers were always big and dark. She could only assume that she had dark magic, seeing as it ran in her family.

"It's your turn now, Mel," Professor Starwing urged her.

Taking a deep breath, Mel closed her eyes and tried to do exactly as the professor had instructed, but she couldn't seem to get it to work. Nothing was happening. She became frustrated when a few more moments passed and it still wasn't working. It seemed that her magic didn't work when she wanted it to, but when she wanted it to work, it roared out of control.

The students began to snicked when she repeatedly failed to produce any magic, whispering amongst themselves as they did. Obviously this didn't make her feel any better. One of the girls standing next to her turned to her with a sneer. "How did a pathetic, talentless girl like you even get in here?" she asked. "You clearly don't have magic. Could it be that you're actually an escaped slave?"

Hearing her talk like that made her blood boil. Mel had no idea what the girl's name was, but she didn't care. As far as she was concerned, she was basically a white-haired copy of Lydia. The mere thought of her made her want to punch something, or rather someone. Mel thought she heard the professor scold the white-haired girl, but she didn't pay attention enough to hear exactly what was said. Someone had set her off again, and she knew deep down that it was only a matter of time before she exploded. She was like a raging bomb that could go off at any given moment. She hated it.

"You wanna see magic?!" she asked, raising her voice at the girl. "I'll show you magic!"

The next thing she knew, the all too familiar dark flame rose from within her, engulfing not only her, but also the nearby plants. The white-haired girl's eyes widened as she screamed in horror, which started a chain reaction with the other students, as they all ran for their lives. It took her a few more moments to calm down, but she eventually returned to her senses again.

No sooner had the flames disappeared, then she sunk to the floor, trying to fight the tears that were trying to break free. Why did that keep happening to her? Yes, she had a bit of a temper, but she had never been that bad before. She had let the remarks of a snobby noble girl get to her, even though she was used to hearing such things. Lydia used to criticize her every move, and for the most part she managed to ignore her. Why couldn't she ignore this girl?

All of a sudden she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, Mel was surprised to see that it was Professor Starwing, a surprisingly sympathetic look on her face. "I now understand why you looked so frightened when you entered the room," she claimed. "You knew this might happen, didn't you?"

Mel nodded her head. "It isn't the first time it's happened."

"Do not be too alarmed, my dear. It happens to all mages when they first come into their powers. Unfortunately, I'm afraid to say that it is considerably worse in your case," Professor Starwing explained. "Rahvin told me about you, and how you have let your magic go untrained for a long time. As a result, your magic has become linked with your emotions; particularly anger in your case."

"Is there a way to break the link?" Mel asked.

"Yes, there is a way, but it requires a bit of extra effort, which is why we usually urge new mages to seek training as soon as possible. However, you have to be willing to let me help you. This is not something you can do on your own."

As odd as it sounded, Mel actually started to feel better. Knowing that her magic could be tamed was a huge relief to her. She realized that she had made a big mistake in running away, foolishly hoping that her magic would disappear if she just ignored it. However, allowing others to help her was not something that came naturally to her.

Growing up on the streets, she had been learned to take care of herself, not being able to trust anyone else. Then she met Te'ijal, and slowly her world began to change. Before long she found herself surrounded by people who were willing to risk their lives for her. It was because of her upbringing that she found it so hard to accept help. However, for the first time in her life, she was willing to let someone help her. Her stubbornness had placed her, as well as those around her, in a lot of danger.

"I'm willing to accept your help," Mel answered at last.

Professor Starwing smiled, and taking her hand off Mel's shoulder, held it out to her to help her up. For the first time since she had discovered her magic, Mel reached out and took her hand without even the tiniest flinch. For the first time, she didn't fear hurting someone. She knew there was hope for her.


	4. Chapter 4

Three months had passed since Mel had enrolled in Shadwood Academy, and so far everything was going well. She had successfully broken the link between her magic and her emotions. It hadn't been easy, and had required a lot of hard work, but she managed with the assistance of Professor Starwing. Since then, she had actually learned to embrace her magic, not to the extent that she wanted to use it for evil purposes, but to the extent that she had made peace with it.

Once the professor's were certain that she was under control, she was allowed to pick two special classes to take. Out of all the options, she chose to go with Storm Magic 101, and Dark Magic 101. She knew she already possessed dark magic, but she didn't really know what it was all about. She always thought that having dark magic meant that person was automatically evil. Apparently that wasn't the case. Professor Rahvin, who taught the class, explained to her that every mage had both white and dark magic inside them, some having a bit more of one than the other, but that ultimately it was a matter of how you choose to use your abilities. Dark Magic could be used for evil, but it could also be used for less destructive purposes as well.

Professor Rahvin quickly became one of her favorite teachers, another being Professor Starwing. It made sense. After all, they were the two teachers who had really made an impact on Mel. They had both helped her during the transition stage, and that meant a lot to her. She didn't mind, Professor Dorwin, her storm magic teacher, but he was a bit stricter and old-fashioned. Regardless, she still managed to learn a lot from him.

"So, have you made any progress with the Empress yet?" Mel asked Edward, as the two of them sat down on a bench in the school courtyard.

Mel and Edward were back to being the best of friends. Edward had forgiven Mel for lashing out at him that day. It wasn't that hard for him. He could easily forgive most people. Obviously, he hadn't quite forgiven Lydia, but that was to be expected. After all, she had deceived him time and time again.

Edward sighed, shaking his head. "No, she still insists that I train here at Shadwood for at least a year before attempting to reclaim Thais."

Mel was happy that the Empress had insisted on that. She liked having a friend to talk to on school grounds. Most of the other students were either far too stuck up, or frightened of her to even try to befriend her. She didn't really mind, though. Edward was good enough for her, even if he was a bit annoying at times.

"You're just upset because you won't be able to see Stella for a while," Mel teased him. "By the way, how is she doing? Is she still working at Moo Hatchery."

"You're probably right," he nodded. "Yeah, she seems to like it there. Between playing with all the bunnies you sent her, and reading your books, she's having the time of her life."

Stella always had been fond of romance, of any kind, no matter how twisted and crazy. She always adored watching Te'ijal and Galahad interact, thinking that they were adorable together. Mel was pleased to hear that one of her best friends enjoyed her writing. It made her feel happy.

"Speaking of books, there's a question I've been meaning to ask you," Edward said. "I read the first two books, and I have to ask; are they true? Is it Gyendal you have feelings for, or is it Spook; the man you thought you knew?"

Mel groaned. She really didn't want to talk about her love life with Edward, but seeing the look on his face, she realized that she wasn't going to hear the end of it until she told him the truth. That was another one of the reasons she had run away. She hadn't been sure of how her friends would react. She didn't want them to hate her.

Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for a possible bad reaction. "The books are true. I've been attracted to Gyendal ever since day one, even though I spent a lot of time denying it. I didn't want to be attracted to him, so I let myself fall for Spook, believing that he might be a bit safer."

"What about when you realized it was Gyendal?" Edward asked.

"I was shocked to say the least, and a little angry, but more at myself for not realizing that it was him," Mel admitted. "However, it made me realize that by falling for Spook, I had actually fallen for Gyendal. I was unable to hate him, even after everything he had done to me."

Edward was not pleased to hear that. "I was afraid you might say something like that."

He remained silent for a surprisingly long time. His face was expressionless, making it difficult to figure out what he was thinking. Mel knew that he was probably trying to keep his thoughts to himself, but also knew that it was only a matter of time before it finally came creeping out. That could only mean that he was angry with her.

"Have you gone mad?!" he exclaimed. "Gyendal is evil! He was only pretending to like you to lure you over and make you do his bidding! He doesn't care for you! I'm pretty sure he doesn't even have a heart!"

For some reason it angered Mel to hear her friend talk about him like that. It was just another sign of how hard she had fallen for him, but she let herself act upon it, knowing that it wouldn't cause her powers to go haywire this time.

"If that was the case, then he would have taken over the world by now! He could have taken the Orb of Death, and forced me to activate it, but he didn't! Instead, he chose to destroy it! I know that you were hurt at the time, but I'm pretty sure you were aware of what was going on!"

Edward made no response to that. He simply sat there, staring at her with wide eyes.

"I don't know exactly what he was thinking, but I saw guilt on his face when he looked at me! He kissed me in his own body, not disguised as someone else, and told me that he wasn't always pretending. Doesn't that prove that he has a heart?" Mel continued. "Yes, it may seem like madness for me to have fallen in love with him, but then again it shouldn't be that surprising! Neither of us are normal! To the rest of the world, we're just a couple of dangerous freaks!"

"I-I had no idea you felt that way..."

Mel slowly began to regain her composure. "I've always thought that I was a freak. It used to bother me a lot more than it does now. I've come to accept it to a certain degree. I'm attracted to things that are dark and mysterious, and there's nothing I can do to change that."

Silence washed over them for another long period. Edward tried to process everything that he had just heard. He recognized that Mel was different. That was one of the things that he had always liked about her. She wasn't like the other girls he had met in Thais, who strove to gain his attention, and cared for nothing but dresses and jewels. Mel liked having fun and going on adventures, much like him.

When he found out about her past and how horribly she had been treated, he had decided to make it his mission to help her in any way that he possibly could. He wanted to prove to her that not everyone was selfish and cruel. That much hadn't changed. Even though he had earned her trust to some degree, he realized that there was always gonna be a part of her that was wary of nobles.

"I may not be thrilled by the fact that you've fallen in love with Gyendal, especially after everything he's done to me and Stella, but for your sake I'll try to overlook his past crimes. He voluntarily destroyed the orb, without anyone forcing him to do so, and I acknowledge that he wouldn't have done that if he was entirely evil."

"Thank you, Edward," Mel smiled widely, and leaned forward to hug him. "It means a lot to hear you say that."

Edward gladly returned the hug. "I just want you to be happy, and if you think you will be happy with him, then i'll do what I can to help the two of you be together."

Mel was about to ask him if he could maybe help her find Gyendal, but she never got the opportunity as they suddenly heard a loud explosion coming from inside the school. Pulling apart from each other, they jumped to their feet and grabbed their weapons before rushing inside. Mel could immediately sense that something was wrong. She could sense an incredibly strong amount of dark magic in the school. She had a bad feeling about it.

Unfortunately, Mel soon discovered the source of the dark magic. For when they reached the main foyer, they found a scene of utter chaos. The teachers and students were at war, fighting a multitude of monsters. There were puddles of blood scattered all over the place, and even a few dead bodies along with it. Both Mel and Edward could see that parts of the school were on fire, for they caught a glimpse of the flames coming from the hallways that led to the classrooms and dormitories.

"What's going on?" Edward asked one of his professors, who just happened to be running by. "Where did these monsters come from?"

The professor stopped for a brief moment to answer him. "We're not entirely sure, lad. They appeared out of nowhere! The protective barrier around the school should have kept them out, but it didn't!" then the professor continued on his way, rushing over to help a group of younger students.

Edward rushed off to join his teacher, but Mel remained frozen in place, her eyes on all the different monsters. Some of them she had never seen before, but there were definitely some that she recognized. They were Darklings. Their resemblance to the ones who had tried to kidnap her in the forest was too striking to be ignored. They had found her again.

As that thought registered in her mind, she regained the ability to move and sprung into action. "There's no way I'm gonna let them destroy this school," she muttered to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Cheers and shouts rang throughout the school. All the monsters had been destroyed. Everyone was safe for the moment. The only thing left to do was put out the fires, and that was simple enough, seeing as that was one of the first things that new mages were taught. It was an easy enough task to complete. Without hesitation, the mage students gathered together and went to put them out, leaving everyone else to tend to clean up and tend to the fallen warriors who had died as a result, as well as those who had been injured.

Mel joined Professor Rahvin in helping him, even though she was a bit too distracted to be of much use. You see, something had happened during the battle. One of the Darklings had given her a message from their master, whoever he was, saying that the Darklings would continue to kill and destroy until she gave herself up. She never heard another word from the curly haired Darkling, as she defeated him shortly after.

She couldn't help but look around at all the damage her presence had caused. The Empress had sent many of her bravest soldiers to defend the school, yet almost all of them had perished. There were only a handful left to tell the tale. In addition, a group of younger students, and one of the Sword Singer Professors had perished as well. It was clear to see that the Darklings knew no mercy. They had killed both those who were old and those who were young.

"Mel, are you all right?" asked Professor Rahvin, "You look awfully pale."

Mel shook her head. "Those monsters were just like the ones who tried to kidnap me back in Candar. They're not gonna stop until I give myself up."

"This isn't your fault, Mel," the professor insisted. "None of us could have predicted that they would be able to get through the protective barrier. For now, we need to focus on getting the wounded students to their rooms and get the light mages to heal them."

Mel nodded her head, and helped her teacher lift one of the students. Between the two of them they managed to carry him back to the dormitory, the fires having been successfully cleared. Professor Yavara was able to direct them to the right room, which was ironically enough just down the hall from hers. They did their best to make him comfortable, but he was still in a lot of pain. One of the Ghouls had taken a bite from his leg, and he was terrified that he was gonna turn into one because of it.

"Is he really going to turn into one of those monsters?" Mel asked her professor as they stepped out of the room.

"There is a possibility that he will, but I'm hoping that one of the healer's will be able to save him before that happens," Professor Rahvin explained.

Mel was terrified. One of her classmates was gonna turn into a monster! She couldn't even imagine what he was going through. His crying and screaming could still be heard as they started back down the hall. This war between her and the Darklings was getting out of hand. She was sure that they would return again and again until the whole school was wiped out, and maybe the whole town. They were growing desperate.

"You should return to your room as well, Mel," her professor said. "You fought very well today, and are entitled to some rest."

Without a word, Mel obeyed and walked over to her room. Slamming the door behind her, she collapsed onto her bed, overwhelmed and extremely frustrated by everything that was going on. She was so tired of running. It seemed that no matter where she went, they always found her. She could not escape from them, and she was starting to realize that. She had to make peace with them somehow. Yet, she knew that the only way to do that was to hand herself over.

She didn't want to go with the Darklings, and she definitely didn't want to take over the world! She just wanted a some-what peaceful life, where she could stay in one place for more than a year and finish writing her books. That was all she wanted, yet it seemed that she was forbidden from having that. A part of her wanted to continue on fighting the dark prophecy, but a part of her just wanted to give up entirely.

All of a sudden a portal appeared in the middle of her room, startling her into an upright position. A dark cloaked figure stepped through shortly after. Unsure of who he was, Mel grabbed her staff and aimed it at him, ready to blast him if need be. The figure was clearly male, based off of the build, but she knew it wasn't Gyendal. This man was much shorter than Gyendal and for a moment she thought she saw a grey beard sticking from under his hood.

"Who are you?!" she demanded. "What do you want?!"

The man then pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing a face that, although she didn't know well, she had seen it once before. During one of her visits to Darkthrop Keep she had stumbled upon a portrait of her evil ancestor. This man looked exactly like him. "Is that anyway to treat your only living family member?" he asked.

Mel couldn't believe her eyes. She had to be dreaming! There was no way that this man was Mordred Darkthrop! She even tried pinching herself, but it didn't work. She didn't wake up. That could only mean that she was already awake. This was reality.

"H-How are you alive?!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, that's a long story, my child, and I'm afraid I don't have the time to tell it right now," Mordred chuckled. "My reason being here is simple. I have come to make a bargain with you."

"What kind of bargain?"

Just then, a couple of Darklings appeared, but they weren't alone. With them was none other than Mel's best friend, Stella, bound by chains that were wrapped tightly around her. Mel's eyes widened in pure horror. How long had Stella been held captive by them? Had it happened just recently, or had it happened shortly after Edward left Thais? Judging by the fact that her friend didn't look too beaten up, she had to say that it was probably the former assumption.

"If you come with me to Underfall and submit to your destiny, I shall spare the girl and let her go free," Mordred stated. "However, if you refuse to do as I ask, then I shall kill her before your very eyes."

Mel gritted her teeth. Making eye contact with Stella, she could see that her friend was pleading her with her eyes to let her die. That girl was even more selfless than Edward. She would probably even lay down her life to save a rabbit or a kitten. That's just the way she was. However, Mel did not see things the same way she did. She wasn't willing to let any of her friends die because of her.

"Let her go, Mordred! You've worn me down! I'll do as you ask!" Mel agreed.

"No!" Stella screamed.

Mordred began to laugh like the mad man that Mel had always heard he was. She began to fill with regret as she listened to him. He had left her with no choice. He must have known how much her friends meant to her. She considered them to be both her strength and weakness. They gave her the motivation and strength to continue fighting, but at the same time she would do just about anything to keep them safe.

Summoning another portal, Mordred grabbed Mel by the wrist, pulling her towards it. "Release the girl!" he said, stopping for a moment.

The Darklings quickly untied her. Mel watched her run out of the room, relieved that Stella was safe. Edward would be happy to see his beloved butterfly again. He'd definitely be able to protect her. Edward ... Would he be mad at her for making such a decision, or would he understand why she had made it? Unfortunately, she didn't have time to think on it, as Mordred roughly yanked her through the portal.

In the blink of an eye, she found herself standing in a dimly lit cathedral, surrounded by Darklings and creepy red-eyed ghost monsters. She felt her stomach churn as they all bowed down to her as if she was their Queen. It was only then that she realized that she was their Queen. By agreeing to submit to her destiny, she had agreed to lead them as their Queen in taking over the world.

"Welcome to your new home," Mordred said to her. "Would you like to get reacquainted with your long-lost lover?"

Mel's eyes snapped towards him. Was he talking about Gyendal? Was Gyendal here in Underfall? She wanted to ask so many questions, but she didn't get the chance to ask any of them as her ancestor began dragging her away again.


	6. Chapter 6

Gyendal had always been a bit selfish. It wasn't that he never thought of others, for he wouldn't have tried to help free the Vampires from oppression if he did, but he often thought of his own desires above all else. Over the last three months, he had found himself feeling particularly selfish as he awaited Mel's arrival. No, he didn't necessarily want her to fulfill the Darkthrop Prophecy, but he did want to hold her in his arms again, kissing her luscious lips and her succulent neck. The latter desire seemed to overpower the former.

However, a part of him worried about what Mordred would have in store for the two of them once he succeeded in taking her. Would he torture her as a way of forcing him to rejoin the evil side? What exactly was he planning? Whatever it was, Gyendal had a feeling that it wouldn't be good for either of them.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity to Gyendal, he finally heard her voice, echoing through the stone walls of the Cathedral. "Where are you taking me, you crazy old geezer!?"

Gyendal couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He had always found Mel to be particularly talented when it came to inventing creative new insults. Although, he imagined that Mordred wouldn't appreciate her talent as much as he did. Oh well. Mel wasn't wrong. Mordred was a crazy old geezer. He deserved the insult.

"Silence your tongue before I decide to hack it off for you!" Mordred retorted. "You should learn to respect your elders! After all, I'm doing you a favour!"

Seeing them approach in the distance, Gyendal slid away from the door, where he had been watching for them, and into the corner where he wouldn't be seen too easily. For some strange reason, he suddenly felt nervous about seeing her after so much time, which was quite out of character of him. He was the Lord of Twilight for crying out loud! Or rather, he used to be the Lord of Twilight. Although, he still liked to consider himself as such. The Lord of Twilight never felt nervous.

Oh, if only Mel knew how much she had weakened him. The old Gyendal would have been repulsed by the very idea of being weak. It just proved how much he had changed. He wasn't entirely sure if it was the result of falling in love, or being trapped in a dungeon for the past year with nothing to entertain him but his thoughts. Perhaps it was a combination of the two. A part of him felt like he was going insane, but a part of him felt like it was the most normal thing in the world. Needless to say, he was still a bit confused by everything.

The door to his cell flew open and second later he saw a hand reach out and push Mel in. She let out a startled yelp as she appeared to trip over the trim of her dress, falling to the floor in a disorderly heap. Gyendal refrained from laughing, even though he wanted to. He wasn't quite ready for Mel to notice him yet. He wanted to wait until the crazy old geezer was gone first.

"I hope the two of you enjoy each other's company," Mordred said, closing the door again. "Maybe you'll change your mind about rejoining me after seeing how generous I can be to those I value."

The old man then walked away, and with that, Gyendal seized the opportunity to make himself known. "Looks like you could use a hand there, Mel," He said, stepping towards her and extending a hand to help her up. "I don't believe I've ever seen you wear a dress before."

Mel's eyes widened as she looked up at him, rubbing her eyes as if she thought she was dreaming. "Gyendal? Is that really you?"

"The one and only," Gyendal replied with a smirk, remembering that Mel had once said the exact same line to him when they first met. It seemed almost as if it had happened a lifetime ago, instead of just a few years.

Oddly enough, Mel burst out laughing, which actually caught Gyendal bu surprise. That was not at all the reaction he had been expecting. He hadn't been expecting her to immediately come running into his arms or anything. To be perfectly honest, he had been expecting her to be a bit angry with him, or at least a bit more shocked to see him.

"I can't believe you actually remember that!" she exclaimed, finally taking his hand and letting him pull her up. "I only said that because I was trying to impress you."

"Unfortunately, I don't think it worked at the time," he informed her.

"Yeah, I figured as much," Mel nodded her head in understanding. "So, what are you doing in here? Did you do something to upset Mordred?"

Gyendal sighed. He had hoped to spend a bit more time with her before telling her his story. He felt rather embarrassed by it. Not because he regretted his actions, but because he found it pitiful that he'd been stuck in a dungeon for over a year. He hated being pitied more than anything. Despite what anyone else might say, he was still one of the most powerful mages in existence. There weren't many who were able to compare themselves to him.

"I have spent the last year paying the price of betraying my master," he admitted. " Let's just say that he wasn't too pleased to hear that I had broken his most powerful orb."

This clearly shocked Mel. She said nothing for the longest time, as she seemed content to just stare at him, her mouth hanging ajar. However, she eventually found her voice again and was able to speak. "Why did you destroy the orb anyway?" she questioned. "I thought you wanted to take over the world."

Gyendal looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "That was indeed my original intention, but something inside me snapped when I saw you suffering as I did when I first discovered my own magic a long time ago. I realized at that moment that I couldn't stand to see you hurting. As strange as it may sound, I fell in love with you, Mel. That's why I destroyed it."

Mel smiled, as if overjoyed to hear that. "Come here, you idiot," and then without warning, she reached out and kissed him.

Gyendal was a bit taken back once again, as that wasn't the reaction he had been expecting, but he quickly overcame the shock and returned the gesture, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into him. He heard her let out a low moan as he stroked her hands through his long black hair, and at that moment, it felt as though they were still back in Stonetooth Cave System. He was just as aroused now as he had been then. The only difference was that he didn't have to hold back anymore. Oh, how he had missed her.

"So, how did you end up here?" Gyendal asked after the two of them had pulled away.

Mel's face fell. "Mordred kidnapped Stella and threatened to kill her if I didn't come with him. I had no choice."

Gyendal's eyes widened. "Does that mean you're going to submit to the prophecy?"

"I don't want to, but at the same time I am just so tired of running," she said. "If I don't do as he asks, he'll just go and kill my friends, and I definitely don't want that. They've been through enough because of me."

Gyendal sighed. He understood her dilemma. She was trying to protect those she cared about. Normally he didn't care about the welfare of the annoying prince and the naive moth, but he reminded himself that his sister could be targeted as well. Te'ijal was just as human as he was, though he was pretty sure she wasn't happy about it. He had read through all the letters she sent Mel, just to see how she was handling everything. It sounded as though she had more than enough problems of her own.

"Whatever happens, we'll get through it together," Gyendal told her. "Somehow, we'll find a way to put an end to all of this."

Mel nodded her head in agreement. Neither of them had any idea of what was going to happen to them, but they knew that together they were stronger than anyone else.


	7. Chapter 7

Gyendal smiled as he gazed upon the peaceful sleeping face of his beloved, who lay in his arms, wrapped up in his cloak. In his wildest dreams he never imagined that he would experience such love. For centuries, he had been convinced that he was destined to be alone, and it had honestly never bothered him. He was used to it, but now he couldn't imagine his life without Mel.

He had turned into a delusional, love struck fool. Had Mel not been sound asleep in his arms, he probably would have started laughing at himself. Who would have thought that a young human girl would ever be able to tame the Lord of Twilight. Although, as he looked back at his life, he couldn't help but remember one memory in particular.

It happened around three-hundred years ago. Te'ijal had just returned to Ghed'ahre from her adventures in the Overland. However, she didn't return alone. She had dragged back a Stubborn Blonde Paladin, whom she claimed to be married too. Gyendal was shocked to learn this, and although he never let it show, he had been hurt by it. It had been just him and his sister standing side by side for over six-hundred years before that, and then she all of a sudden ditched him for someone else. It hurt him to be abandoned by his own twin sister; the only person he had in his life.

For the next two-hundred years, Te'ijal barely even acknowledged his existence. She was far too busy chasing after her silly husband, who wanted nothing to do with Vampires, and when she wasn't doing that, she was off visiting her human friends. On the rare occasion that he did get to see her, she would act so strangely that he didn't even recognize her anymore. She constantly gushed about how attractive her Paladin was, and would literally not stop talking about him.

After bottling everything up for so long, he finally snapped and ended up blasting her across the room as a result. A part of him regretted hurting his sister, but any regret he felt at the time was overshadowed by his anger towards her. Until then, she had been the only thing holding him back from trying to enslave humanity, as she always insisted that not all humans were bad. However, as he turned his back on her, he made a vow that he was never again going to let her hold him back. He had started searching for a way to destroy the humans shortly after.

While he didn't believe that he was acting quite as strange and horribly mushy as Te'ijal had, he realized that he had changed. Falling in love did change a person, and not always for the worse, as he had discovered. He should have known that it was just Te'ijal. She always had been a bit eccentric.

Just then, all of a sudden the door to the cell swung open, startling Mel from her slumber in the process. Mordred, along with a group of four Darklings, barged in. "All right, I see now that you aren't going to change your mind," Mordred claimed, looking directly at Gyendal. "Separating the two of you won't work either, so I have no choice but to forcibly turn the two of you evil."

The Darklings grabbed both Gyendal and Mel, hoisting them up and dragging them out of the cell one after another. They both fought to get free but neither succeeded.

"What are you planning to do to us?!" Mel demanded. "You can't just force us to turn evil!"

Mordred laughed, as he followed after them, "You will see soon enough."

Mel and Gyendal were hauled up the stairs and into the main part of the Cathedral, which Mel recognized as the same room she had portaled into upon her arrival. The only difference was that now there was a creepy glowing star coming out of the floor in the middle of the room. The two looked at each other, exchanging troubled expressions. They both knew that, whatever it was, it wouldn't be good for them.

"Is the portal ready?" Mordred asked the red-eyed ghost monsters.

"It is," they replied, nodding their transparent heads.

With that said, Mel and Gyendal were dragged over to stand directly on top of it. The Darklings then released them, retreating out of the way as the red-eyed ghost monsters began to chant, completely surrounding the two. The circle began to glow even brighter, causing both Mel and Gyendal to squint. Dark Magic began to soar through the air until they were completely encircled by it.

"Enjoy your time in the Demon Realm, you two!" Mordred exclaimed, breaking into another fit of laughter.

Hearing that, Gyendal lunged forward in an attempt to strangle Mordred. How dare he send him and Mel into the Demon Realm. Surely he knew what that would mean for them. They could be trapped there for all eternity. Sadly, he was unable to reach Mordred as the portal started to pull them into the alternate realm. So, not knowing what else to do, he quickly reached out and pulled Mel closer to him, preparing himself for what they would find on the other side.

"Mark my words, Mordred Darkthrop!" Gyendal declared. "We will return to destroy you!"


	8. Chapter 8

Mel's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe her eyes. Surely the sight before her had to be a mirage or something. There was no way that it was real. How was it possible that Aveyond was in the Demon Realm? From what she had heard, it was meant to be a place where evil reigned supreme. Needless to say, she was confused, and by looking at her fellow party members, she assumed that they were just as confused.

A lot had happened since Mel and Gyendal had landed in the Demon Realm. Shortly after their rather bumpy landing, they had been visited by Nox, who had apparently advised both her and Gyendal at different points. They had been introduced to Nox's twin sister, Uma, who seemed much more pleasant. Unlike her mischievous sister, Uma was kind and considerate, and reminded Mel a lot of Stella. Nox just reminded her a lot of what Gyendal used to be like.

After everyone had been introduced to each other, they ended up encountering an angry Wyvern, who proceeded to chase them across the Demon Plains. Somehow they ended up crossing into a part of the realm that looked remarkably like Aveyond. The Wyvern had stopped chasing them, unable to reach them from inside. Mel could only imagine that there was a protective barrier around it to keep monsters out.

"I feel that we should be wary," Uma warned. "A holy place, such as Aveyond, shouldn't be accessible from within the Demon Realm."

Mel wasn't entirely convinced. It looked pretty real to her. Everything looked the same from what she could tell. It was just as bright as usual, hurting both everyone's eyes to some extent. There were flowers everywhere. Doves were flying all over the place, hopping from tree to tree, and she could see the magical fountain in the distance where Edward had once upgraded Excalibur.

"Let's just see what we can find," Mel suggested. "Maybe, the Oracle predicted that we'd all end up down here and transported Aveyond to help us."

Gyendal looked apprehensive. "Frankly I'm not sure what to believe, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go and try to seek help."

With that decided, the four of them started through the trees, swatting away tree branches as they trekked along. Unfortunately, Uma and Nox got ended up getting into a bit of a fight along the way. You see, Nox kept hitting Uma with tree branches as they went, and Uma wasn't too happy about it. Meanwhile, Mel and Gyendal were left to witness the fight, rolling their eyes as the two girls, who appeared to be no older than fifteen or sixteen, started pulling each other's hair. It was at that point in which they were forced to get involved.

"Knock it off you two!" Mel shouted.

The sister's continued to claw at each other as Mel and Gyendal attempted to separate them, Gyendal grabbing Nox and Mel grabbing Uma. They felt like parents trying to deal with a couple of angry three-year old's. Eventually they did manage to stop the fight after Gyendal used his magic to pull them apart. Surprisingly enough, they didn't fight again after that.

It didn't take them too long to reach the all too familiar village of Priestess's. Everybody kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Aside from the fact that very few of the Priestess's were actually outside their houses, everything else seemed fine. Without hesitation, they continued on towards the Oracle's house.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Uma asked. "This place is giving me a bad feeling."

Mel couldn't understand what Uma meant by that. The Demon Realm had definitely given her a bad feeling, but not Aveyond. This was probably the safest place they could be at the moment. Nobody else seemed to get the same feeling as Uma, so she just shrugged her shoulders and moved on.

When they stepped into the Oracle's house, they found that like the rest of Aveyond, it too looked exactly the same. The elderly Oracle was found standing in the center of the room as always. Overjoyed to see her wrinkled face, Mel went running up to her. "Words can't describe how happy I am to see you, Oracle!" she exclaimed. "I desperately need your help."

"Of course, my child," The Oracle replied. "What can I do for you?"

Mel began to tell her everything that had happened. The Oracle nodded her head attentively every so often to show that she was listening, but remained silent otherwise. It didn't seem to affect her that she had agreed to submit to her destiny. Mel had been afraid that the Oracle would abandon her because of that, but it seemed her fears were unfounded.

"So, we need to figure out a way to return to the mortal realm," Mel finished telling her story. "Is there a way to do so, or are we stuck here?"

The Oracle seemed to contemplate the question. "I'm afraid that the portal between the realms has been broken, but there is a staff that could fix it; the Staff of Destiny" she explained. "Alas, it was stolen by a wicked demon a long time ago."

"Where does this demon reside?" Gyendal asked.

"He lives in the caves far to the north," The Oracle stated. "No one has ever been able to defeat him, but perhaps the four of you will stand some chance against him."

Mel glanced over at the others. None of them seemed too thrilled by the idea of fighting a demon, but they didn't exactly have much of a choice. They had to return to their own world and stop Mordred.

"We'll give it a shot," Mel said. "Thank you, Oracle.

The Oracle smiled, clearly pleased to hear that. "Think nothing of it, children."

For a brief moment, Mel thought she saw a strangely dark look wash over her face, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye. Choosing not to question it, she just shrugged it off. Who was she to question the Oracle? If only she knew who this Oracle truly was.


End file.
